The Annenberg Foundation is a foundation that provides funding and support to

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

Overview

The Annenberg Foundation was established by Walter H. Annenberg in 1989 with $1.2 billion, one-third of the assets from the sale of Annenberg's

Triangle Publications Triangle Publications Inc. was an American media group based first in Philadelphia, and later in Radnor, Pennsylvania. It was a privately held corporation, with the majority of its stock owned by Walter Annenberg and his sisters. Its holdings ...

. The Annenberg Foundation has focused on educational programming, and its efforts have also included

environmental stewardship Environmental stewardship (or planetary stewardship) refers to the responsible use and protection of the natural environment through active participation in conservation efforts and sustainable practices by individuals, small groups, nonprofit org ...

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

, and

animal welfare Animal welfare is the quality of life and overall well-being of animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures ...

. The foundation has roots as a traditional

grantmaking A grant is a fund given by a person or organization, often a public body, charitable foundation, a specialised grant-making institution, or in some cases a business with a corporate social responsibility mission, to an individual or another e ...

institution and is also involved in the community. , the foundation has $1.59 billion in assets.

Ownership and Board of Directors

Walter H. Annenberg headed the Annenberg Foundation until his death in 2002.

Leonore Annenberg Leonore Cohn Annenberg (February 20, 1918 – March 12, 2009), also known as Lee Annenberg, was an American businesswoman, diplomat, and philanthropist. She was noted for serving as Chief of Protocol of the United States from 1981 to 1982. Annen ...

, his wife, ran it until her death in March 2009. Since then, the foundation's

trusteeship Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, refers to anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the ...

has been led by

Wallis Annenberg Wallis Huberta Annenberg (born July 15, 1939) is an American philanthropist and heiress. Annenberg serves as president and chairwoman of the Board of The Annenberg Foundation, a multibillion-dollar philanthropic organization in the United States ...

and three of her children:

Lauren Bon Lauren Bon (born 1962) is an artist who works with architecture, performance, photography, sound, and farming, to create urban, public, and land art projects that she terms "devices of wonder" to galvanize social and political transformation. Bas ...

, Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, and Charles Annenberg Weingarten. *Chairman of the Board, President and CEO, Wallis Annenberg *Vice President and Director,

*Vice President and Director, Gregory Annenberg Weingarten *Vice President and Director, Charles Annenberg Weingarten

The Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project

On January 28, 2013, the Annenberg Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and several other state agencies to explore the possibility of constructing a 46,000 square foot facility in the protected Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve which would have included adoption and veterinary services for domestic pets. However, on December 2, the Foundation announced that it was suspending its plans. The ''Los Angeles Times'' reported that some wetlands advocates had opposed the proposal. The ''Los Angeles Daily News'' noted that this was the Foundation's second failed attempt to construct this project on public land. The ''Los Angeles Times'' and ''Los Angeles Daily News'' editorial boards called the project "a bad fit" and "inappropriate," respectively.

References

{{Reflist Foundations based in the United States Organizations established in 1989 1989 establishments in California Annenberg Non-profit organizations based in Los Angeles